I'll be honest I eat pretty well and I train ok, but I'm only human. I LOVE good food and I also LOVE chilling out at home. So as much as I read, learn and do my best to do all the right things I find nothing really gets my juices flowing until I have a challenge to prepare for. So for me its all about the events coming up on the calendar.
In 2011 I've already lined up -
The Forces March (May 2011), which basically involves 5 marathons in 5 days over hilly areas.
3 Peaks (April 2011), which involves climbing the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in under 24 hours
Snowdon Challenge (Oct 2011), which is all about the maximum number of ascents/ descents in 24 hours of Snowdon in North Wales
I still have aspirations to do Kilimanjaro in Kenya and Basecamp of Everest when I get the chance, and also I'd still love to row an ocean someday!
I've heard if your metabolism is slow that too much protein can block you up and back everything up as it goes through your system? Could this be an issue?
Of course plenty of fibre should help push it through but if a high protein diet is clogging you up then it may answer some of the bloating?
Don't know if thats the answer but it may be worth looking into
The Human body is a creature of habit and the best way to get it back on track is literally to break the habit.
Sounds too simple but stay with it.
There is generally a related process that precedes the urge around a particular time. And this series of events is as much to blame for the craving as other things. For example, people who craved smoking at certain point of their driving journey to work were able to remove that urge by driving a different route to work.
So have a think about the things you do every day up until that moment that are just part of a routine and think how you can break up the pattern. By breaking the pattern it is easier to create new habits.
My lunch at the moment is often cooked lean meat (often chicken), raw carrot sticks, sliced pepper, apple, banana, nuts and seeds, and a yoghurt.
I am on the road a lot so I have to eat out of my car. I find my metabolism puts weight on fast with bread and sandwiches so I take fruit and veg which is fine if prepared fresh that morning.
Wow, what a large portion on your plate and how grown up you are about handling it. I'm very impressed with your inner strength and maturity in the situation.
As you know there is a long road ahead and it will take a lot of work but you've shown that you have what it takes to go the distance.
If I can help in anyway then please feel free to get in touch!
I think it is just to keep it very simple and not make too much of a big deal out of it.
My tips would be to:
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Drink lots of water
Consume plenty of EFA's (Healthy Fats)
Avoid Refined Sugar
Avoid Cooked Fats
An hour of phys a day
Plenty of relaxation
Remember life is fun, so don't feel deprived!
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I hosted a 90 day challenge recently and at the start all the competitors did a goal setting exercise from the 1-3-5 system. They had to write 1 goal, 3 reasons why they wanted to achieve that goal and 5 actions they were going to take to ensure they stayed on track.
Ha ha, yes it was a lame cheat but time is not my most abundant asset sadly so I have to dip into the phys as and when I can.
You'll be glad to know I DID complete it though! So thanks for the thread as I may not have pushed myself to ensure I bothered to do it.
So what about this weekend? Well in truth my phys is ok and I'm always motivated to work up a sweat but its the little things that catch me out. And the little things often make a much bigger difference than the training which is embarrassing.
Anyhow, I'm noticing signs that I am suffering with dehydration on a regular basis and this is a heinous crime which must be dealt with!!
My goal is simple though I fear will seem tougher than last weeks for me.
I will drink 3 litres of water every day!
I really need to get back into this habit. BUSY IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!
The truth is you can not coach someone who doesn't want to be coached. There is obviously a blockage in there within her that she isn't ready to face and only she can make the decision to face it.
The sad thing is all you can do is provide her an example and leave the choice to her. Well done for really believing in her though, it shows that you are a true friend
I used to be around a lot more regular but I've been away with the fairies of late with far too many projects than the 24 hour day can accomodate.
But the new one I'm working on I think will be great to share with you guys and I hope it can be a great tool to support your goals too.
Basically I've been away training for whopping challenges only to find that the physical training was EASY compared to doing what the challenges were ultimately about. We wanted to MAKE A DIFFERENCE to charity.
Fundraising and chasing sponsorship is hard work! So I've been developing the Team Warrior Community to celebrate those raising money for charity through physical challenges. I assure you that this doesn't make me any money, just gives me another headache keeping the site going. However, some of the stuff people do just gets me psyched and its awesome!
Now I'm looking for people interested in great stories of those doing physical challenges for charity, those who like sharing stories of great people, and those of you who have your own challenges and would like some help promoting it.
Please take a look at me site and give me honest feedback. The site is here.
It is quite basic at the moment as it has been done on a budget but the whole emphasis is about helping people share their messages of what they are doing for charity.
We have a facebook group and an email newsletter with loads of stuff going on but it ONLY covers amazing individuals doing physical challenges to raise money for charity.
If I'm watching my food and training hard and hunger pangs persist then it is ALWAYS for a reason. It may not neccessarily be a calorie deficit but a certain nutrient(s) deficit. Often for me I need a lot of protein.
After all, whats the point in losing weight if its just lean mass flying out the window because of lack of recovery.
Plus upping protein, doesn't generally cause any harm as it is more thermogenic to digest and literally will aid recovery and protect your efforts. Kind of like a bit of insurance. Last thing at night is fine for protein as well as you grow/ recover at night.
I agree with the above, it is all about the technique and the more you fight the water the more it will resist.
I found slowing down and concentrating on form meant I went faster and for longer. Focus on really 'corkscrewing the body' as you thrust your leading arm forward on each stroke. Plus I found counting slowly to 'one' with me leading arm outstretched before bringing the arm over again. In the early days I almost stopped focusing on legs at contributes a relatively small amount, so just get the technique right with the arms first.
With the pause and control of counting to 'one' with the leading arm I find it easier to really power the leading arm down to force me forwards giving much greater forward thrust than when I thrash wildly. On top of that thrashing wildly means I'm totally knackered on about 100m.
This is shaping up to be a very interesting survey. I have only recieved a few responses so far and already I have learned huge amounts. Please keep sharing your responses and letting me know your feedback.
Sanet, on the last question you have the option to give your details for further updates. It would be nice to stay in touch with all who fill in the details though I recognise that not everyone will appreciate this so it is an optional question so you can do it all anonymous.
I have not been in the forums for a while so it may be a good idea to introduce myself again.
My name is Dean and I work as Coach, and love to develop bootcamps that really help people succeed in their goals.
At the moment I am doing a Business Qualification and I have been tasked with gathering 'Market Research'. Therefore I need 100 people to fill in a questionare for me.
Can you Help?
Be great if you can assist me with this homework and help me to continually improve what I am trying to deliver.
When I do competitions I always find it funny to put a little sickener in for the loser! lol
Nothing motivates you more than knowing that the loser has to run up and down the street in rush hour dressed as a giant chicken, with a sign on there back saying...
'I wasn't good enough to hit my goals!' ha ha
I know its mean but it does motivate people for sure. Especially when the winner has the camera and is enjoying a positive prize.
Congratulations for taking on such a big challenge and hitting it head on.
My tip is that you will actually get good at running a hell of a lot quicker than you think you will though in the early days you just need to take it easy. I have trained for a lot of military tests and I got to a stage where I was quite good at running, though I did start from the bottom.
So my 2 tips would be:
Run everyday - I found running everyday made me get good at running very fast
Take it easy - Cos I said run every day it doesn't mean you have to do a lot of mileage. Small 10-15 min sessions on a regular basis make big boosts.
One of the tests we trained for was an 8 miler for instance, but I started preparing for it by doing a couple of miles a day and having sunday off. And believe me there was a time when 2 miles felt like a marathon on its own. In fact sometimes I would walk some of it. No shame in that. But the daily plugging away meant I did very well and hit all of my goals in a relatively short period of time.
Oh, and if you want a third tip! Get an ipod! I never train without mine now.
I think Jane has a great point there! The biggest pain I hear in skiing seems to be up at the top of the thigh area.
I'm actually new to all this stuff myself but have been doing some research for my next challenge.
It appears the kettlebell is great for getting the level of strength and conditioning required in the thighs, and also if you can do squats with a lighter weight and just do partial reps going down 3-6 inches at a time and not all the way down (for high reps like maybe time it for 1 min) and that will develop the muscular endurance in that area to complement te increase in strength from full squats.
I'll be interested to hear your results for myself!
It depends entirely on your goals, where you are at and where you want to be.
Sometimes I cover 40 miles in a weekend to get to a goal and in other cycles that would be a ludicrous thing to do. Exercises and routines are never right or wrong per se, they are only right or wrong when you apply them to your goals.
I'd go for kettlebells and building strength through a full range of motion.
For leg range and strength try stretching your legs as far as they can go then tense them as hard as you can, and build up the strength in those stretched positions.
Whichever one gets your juices flowing wild enough to actually get on it!
For me personally my passion is mindset. If you can get in the zone and connect with your passions then all the details really aren't as big as they seem. Diet and exercise are of course important details, but I still find them over rated. There is so much going on inside, and willpower is not strong enough without a reason linked to a passion.
To clarify you can eat less and put on more weight and even eat more and lose weight. Now if you treat training as mathematical calculations then arguably you can get results. Though I'd challenge that you'd never really get to where you wanted to go.
The art is in finding the reason and the passion. If the dreams big enough then the facts don't count. Besides you intuitively know what you need to do, you just need to confirm that its worth it.
And sadly for most people losing a few pounds or a few inches really isn't life changing enough to make them dig in and get sweating. If thats true for you then be happy, cos now's the time to think bigger and aim higher. Till you find something that really does push your buttons, then you are truly in business and the rest as they say, will be history.
The question is not How to lose a few inches but Why? If you can answer that then you already have the tools.
